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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2021)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Tribal Council OKs demolition contract for Blue Heron site — pg. 6 may 15, 2021 Tribe ‘ready’ for Rescue Plan allocation Fishing the falls By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T he Grand Ronde Tribe is “ready” to receive its share of American Rescue Plan funds, Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said during the Tuesday, May 11, Legislative Action Committee hearing. Kennedy participated in a virtual meeting with federal government officials who shared details of how they will distribute $20 billion to Native American Tribes under the American Rescue Plan on Monday, May 10. A total of $1 billion will be allocated equally among eligible Tribal governments and $19 billion will be divvied up by the Treasury. Of that, $12.35 billion will be allocated based on a Tribe’s self-certified enrollment numbers submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in April. The remaining $6.65 billion will be based on self-certified Tribal employment data from numbers submitted to Treasury in May 2020 in connection with the CARES Act. Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez confirmed that the Grand Ronde Tribe met the deadline to submit its enrollment data to acquire Rescue Plan funds. Kennedy said that some of the funds could be dispersed within four days and that Finance Of- ficer Chris Leno has lined up auditors to ensure the Tribe properly spends the funds, which must be used by the end of 2024. The U.S. Department of Treasury held five Tribal consultations with 85 Tribal leaders in late March and early April to accept input on how to improve the allocation of funds for pan- demic and economic relief. Casey Lozar, the Treasury Department’s se- nior policy advisor, said the department tried to make the process easier by expanding tech- nical assistance options for Tribal governments, launching a detailed web page about the funding See RESCUE PLAN continued on page 5 Photo by Brian Krehbiel Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier dips a fishing net into the water off the fishing platform at Willamette Falls for the first day of ceremonial fishing on Tuesday, May 4. Fishing will be held on Tuesday and Thursday until the end of May. The removable platform has been up since October 2018, but this is the first time it has been used since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tribe is allowed to catch 15 hatchery grown Chinook salmon or summer steelhead for ceremonial purposes per Oregon Department of State Lands rules. Tribal fishermen were not successful in netting a fish during their first three days on the platform. To see more photos, turn to page 8. Tribal women blazing a trail in traditionally male-dominated field By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals staff writer T ribal member Kaylene Barry remem- bers the first moment she wanted to become a firefighter: It was after her family home in Grand Ronde burned down when she was only 5 years old. “After that I was unhealthily obsessed Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez with Smokey the Bear,” she says. “As I got older, I thought there was nothing stopping me from trying to accomplish my goal of being a firefighter. Now, I have the opportunity to help my community as See FIREFIGHTERS continued on page 9 The Grand Ronde Fire Department currently has six firefighters and four are female. From left, Contact Tracer Kaylene Barry, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Brandy Bishop and Contact Tracer Erika Alcantar serve as volunteer firefighters. The fourth, Tami Tigner, is a full-time firefighter/paramedic. According to a 2018 study by the National Fire Protection Association, only 8 percent of firefighters in the United States are female.